First Security Concern
My next flight of the day was a quick flight to and from Detroit and during the process of getting the plane ready to leave the gate, there seems to be a security concern. When the plane doesn’t leave as scheduled we start to look around just as the captain comes on the overhead and let’s us know that they have been selected for a second check on some security issues. Wondering what that might be all about, we watch as three passengers are lead off the plane. After 15 minutes each is back on the plane with the captain giving us an update about every 10 minutes, just enough to sooth any concerns we might have about arriving in Detroit. Running almost 45 minutes late, we’re off for Detroit. What did happen was that those who had been selected for further security screening were given complimentary seats in first class and I overheard the flight attendant tell all the others up there that it was just a random check and everyone was fine. That went a long way toward making us all feel better because as was expected, the person sitting next to me adopted a “guilty” frown toward the three people as they sat down and muttered something as to wondering why they were still let on the plane. I’m glad it happened as it allowed me to see up close and personal how airlines are going to handle these situations, as they invariably will come up from time to time. Of course the flight back was running very late and everyone who boarded was worried about his or her connections. The flight attendants let us all know that flights were being held and that most if not all would be in good shape if they had running shoes on. As it turns out, a few did miss their connections and I chatted with them briefly. Of the 5 people I chatted with, only one held the airline at fault, the other 4 seemed to forgive the airline and understand it was a security issue beyond the fault of US Airways and they were fine with that.